Health Facts

Get the Most Nutrition Out of Your Calories

Each major food group provides a variety of nutrients, so it's
important to include all food groups in your daily eating plan. You
will enjoy many different foods while getting essential nutrients that
help you get the most nutrition out of your calories.

Many Americans don't consume enough foods that contain calcium,
potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E. At the same time,
many Americans consume too many foods high in calories, saturated and
trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and salt.

Getting the nutrients you need through a healthy diet is essential
for growth, development, and overall health. So, look for foods that
are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients, but
lower in calories. These foods should be the foundation of your diet.
Eating nutrient-packed foods helps you stay within your calorie needs
while meeting your nutrient needs.

What are my daily calorie needs?
There is a right number of calories for you to eat each day. Find your
number on the Estimated Calories Needed table on the next page. For
example, a 40-year-old, sedentary woman should aim for 1,800 calories
a day, while a 25-year-old, sedentary male should aim for 2,400 calories
a day. You could use up the entire amount on a few high-calorie items,
but chances are you won't get the full range of vitamins and nutrients
that your body needs.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Eat a variety of nutrient-packed foods and beverages within and among
the basic food groups, while limiting foods with saturated fats, trans fats,
cholesterol, added sugars, salt, as well as alcohol. Select a variety
of foods from each food group and within food groups. A healthy eating
plan is one that:

Use the Nutrition Facts label.
Most packaged foods have a Nutrition Facts label. Use this tool to make
smart food choices and find out how much you are actually eating. To
use the label effectively:

Check servings and calories. Find out how much you are actually
eating. Look at the serving size and how many servings you are consuming.
If you are eating two servings, you are eating double the calories and
the nutrients listed in the Nutrition Facts label for one serving of
the food.

Check the percent Daily Value (% DV). For many nutrients, the Nutrition
Facts label provides a % DV; 5% DV or less is low and 20% DV or more
is high.

Try to get 100% DV per day of dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium,
potassium, and iron.

Try to stay below 100% DV per day for total fat, saturated fat,
cholesterol, and sodium.

Try to keep trans fats as low as possible.

Read the ingredient list.
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight from most to least.
Make sure that those ingredients you want more of, such as whole grains
(e.g., whole wheat) are listed first. Make sure that those you want
to eat less of, such as added sugars, are not one of the first few ingredients.
Some names for added sugars (caloric sweeteners) include brown sugar,
corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrates,
glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert corn syrup, invert
sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, maple syrup, raw sugar,
sucrose, and syrup.

You can get a big nutritional "bang for the bite" by making
smart food choices. The comparisons on the right are some examples of
how you can get more from your calories. Some people with increased
needs for particular nutrients should select food sources of these nutrients
more often. For example:

Many people over 50 years old have reduced absorption of vitamin
B12 and need to consume vitamin B12 in its crystallized form (examples
include fortified cereals and vitamin B12 dietary supplements).

Women of childbearing age tend to have low iron levels. Food
sources for iron include lean meat, green leafy vegetables, dried
fruit, and fortified cereals. Women of childbearing age also need
folic acid, which is essential for fetal development. Synthetic folic
acid (from fortified foods or supplements) in addition to food forms
of folate such as oranges, whole grains, and dark leafy vegetables,
should be consumed.

Older adults, people with dark skin, and people insufficiently exposed
to sunlighttend to need more vitamin D to help maintain bone health.
Drinking vitamin D-fortified low-fat or fat-free milk is a good way
to get vitamin D.

a These
levels are based on Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) from the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) Dietary Reference Intakes Macronutrients
Report, 2002, calculated by gender, age, and activity level for
reference-sized individuals. "Reference size," as determined by
IOM, is based on median height and weight for ages up to 18 years
and median height and weight for that height to give a Body Mass
Index (BMI) of 21.5 for adult females and 22.5 for adult males.

b Sedentary means a lifestyle that includes only the
light physical activity associated with typical day-to-day life.

c Moderately active means a lifestyle that includes physical
activity equivalent to walking about 1.5 to 3 miles per day at 3
to 4 miles per hour, in addition to the light physical activity
associated with typical day-to-day life.

d Active means a lifestyle that includes physical activity
equivalent to walking more than 3 miles per day at 3 to 4 miles
per hour, in addition to the light physical activity associated
with typical day-to-day life.

e The calorie ranges shown are to accommodate needs of
different ages within the group. For children and adolescents, more
calories are needed at older ages. For adults, fewer calories are
needed at older ages.